To the surprise of exactly no one, President Obama endorsed Elizabeth Warren for the US Senate. The POTUS stamp of approval can’t hurt. Expect Warren to run with the endorsement of a personally popular president who is very likely to win Massachusetts in a romp. Even if he didn’t give her The Job.

Monday was a banner day for Warren endorsements. She got the nod from Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown University law student at the center of congressional birth control testimony controversy earlier this year. Sheila Bair, the Republican former head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, crossed the aisle to lend her support to Warren.

It’s all a glaring contrast to Scott Brown who continues to treat Mitt Romney like the uncle you don’t want to be stuck next to at the Thanksgiving dinner table, even if he is doing better these days. The best Brown could do yesterday was to cement his standing with law enforcement by reeling in the endorsement of the Massachusetts state police union. This morning, Brown announced the endorsement of former governor Paul Cellucci.

Candidates seek out endorsements wherever they can. Though endorsements may shake loose a few undecided voters, sometimes the men and women running for office forget that the vast majority of voters simply do not care about them.

Case in point: There are people who may be bowled over by Ross Perot’s embrace of Mitt Romney. However, a Pew Research Center for People and the Press study found Republican voters are unlikely to be swayed by endorsements from high-profile political figures. Nor do they usually follow the lead of their state’s governors, hometown newspapers, or religious leaders.

But there are exceptions worth noting. Military endorsements usually work better for Democratic candidates, while not moving the needle much for Republicans. Voters generally view the Democratic Party as weaker on national security compared to the GOP, so those endorsements matter, especially for independent voters.

Local celebrity endorsements can matter more than those from Hollywood types. Comedian  Steve Martin is likely not going to help former Nebraska senator Bob Kerrey, the underdog in that that state’s US Senate race, get back to Washington.

But if a Commonweal analysis is correct, the endorsement of Romney by a popular local hero like former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway can make a huge difference. The “undisputed king of Colorado” carries “charismatic authority” in the Rocky Mountain region, writes Michael Peppard.

Newspaper endorsements are often dismissed as not meaning much anymore, but the Huffington Post’s Michael Calderone begs to differ with that piece of convention wisdom.  Citing an analysis by a former Editor and Publisher editor that found that newspaper endorsements in swing states provide a (mostly) accurate view of who’s going to win, Calderone opines that those choices can provide a “telling snapshot of the electorate in an election’s final weeks.”  Which is why Mitt Romney is trying to round up as many newspaper editorial nods as he can get.

— GABRIELLE GURLEY

BEACON HILL

The Globe reports that chemist Annie Dookhan, who is at the center of the state drug lab scandal, had ongoing telephone and email exchanges with a Norfolk County prosecutor, a violation of protocol that may further jeopardize the integrity of cases that she was involved with. Eleven prisoners from MCI Concord, who had pleaded guilty to drug crimes, were released from prison because they had their cases allegedly tainted by Dookhan. The Lowell Sun looks at cases in its circulation area that are likely to be affected by the drug lab scandal, as well as a federal case involving a Tewksbury motel. Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis explains how he intends to keep city residents safe as inmates are released.

MUNICIPAL MATTERS/REGION

Yes, Virginia, there really are earthquakes in New England, a reality that rumbled its way across the region night a little past 7 o’clock.

Fall River will become the fifth Massachusetts city to install ShotSpotter, the acoustic system that helps police identify where and when gunshots are fired.

The suspended Cohasset police chief is firing back, saying allegations of official wrongdoing against him are false and a product of political payback.

A number of towns in Plymouth and Bristol counties have lifted their nighttime curfews on public parks and fields after the weekend’s hard frost killed off most of the mosquito threat.

Boston Properties unveils plans for a 22-story apartment tower in Kendall Square.

NATIONAL POLITICS/WASHINGTON

The US Postal Service hits its borrowing limit.

ELECTION 2012

Most observers and snap polls gave President Obama a win on points over Mitt Romney in last night’s debate, but it may not do much to change poll numbers, writes The New Republic’s Nate Cohn. The National Review declared it a draw, which their pundits say favors Romney. The Weekly Standard agrees it was “not a game-changer.” In the American Spectator, Ben Stein says Romney’s fumble on Libya was a “disastrously missed opportunity.” Romney’s claim about having asked women’s groups for “binders full of women” to consider for top appointments when he was governor was not only the sort of awkward Mitt Moment he is prone to, it wasn’t true, says David Bernstein. The Atlantic can’t resist the lure of Romney’s weird moment. New York Times poll watcher Nate Silver says the debate gave Obama new inroads with independent and undecided voters. For a laugh, check out Romneytaxplan.com.

Waltham-based advanced battery maker A123 Systems, which received millions of dollars in government support, filed for bankruptcy protection yesterday — and its slide quickly became an issue in the presidential race. The Wall Street Journal says slow electric vehicle sales, and an even slower pace of technological innovation, triggered the bankruptcy filing.

Elizabeth Warren has big edge over Scott Brown in advance television ad bookings for the final weeks of their showdown, reports CommonWealth’s Paul McMorrow.

Keller@Large says polls showing Romney closing the gender gap against Obama prove that women are not a homogenous group of like-thinkers.

Republican super PACs are spending big in a late push to hold their advantage in the House. The group includes a PAC aligned with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor that has supported Richard Tisei against Rep. John Tierney; the group is pledging to spend $10 million nationwide before Election Day. The Salem News reports Tisei seems to be gaining ground but Tierney remains confident. Brian McGrory takes a pretty brutal whack at Tierney, who he says  had to either admit to being a liar or a dull blade (he says the congressman has opted for the latter).

Cardinal Sean O’Malley urges voters to reject Question 2, which deals with the right to die, the Lynn Item reports.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan is hoping to convince Robert Kraft to consider his city as the site for a new soccer stadium for the New England Revolution.

Lance Armstrong steps down from his Livestrong foundation, ABC reports.

Vikram Pandit is out as Citigroup CEO.

The NCAA pulls about six regional championship tournaments out of New Jersey in response to the state’s plans to launch sports betting, the Star-Ledger reports.

The Atlantic talks about the terrible business of trafficking stolen art.

EDUCATION

Students and faculty at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth say a new campus policy restricting assemblies to an official “public forum space” is violating free speech rights for demonstrations and political discourse.

The state has cut a “clawback” penalty in half against Hingham that was levied after the town demolished a state-funded middle school addition to make way for a new middle school before its 20-year lifespan expired.

Fitchburg State cuts the ribbon on a new campus center.

HEALTH CARE

Federal agents raid the New England Compounding Center, the Herald reports. A New Hampshire man is suing the Framingham company at the center of the fungal meningitis outbreak, NECN reports.

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

Global warming could cause as many as 10 severe land-falling hurricanes a year by the end of the century, scientists predict.

Gloucester expects to save $250,000 this year on its energy bill once two wind turbines start spinning. The savings will rise to $500,000 next year, the Gloucester Times reports.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS

US District Chief Judge Mark Wolf, who has overseen many high-profile legal cases in the region, announced he will step down from his post at the beginning of next year.

MEDIA

Dan Kennedy weighs in on a Forbes report that the Washington Post is wooing Globe editor Marty Baron to take over as executive editor.